November 12, 2024
FILM: OKIE
DIRECTED BY: KATE COBB
STARRING: SCOTT MICHAEL FOSTER, KEVIN BIGLEY, KATE COBB
RATING: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
How do fame and one’s past collide? In Okie (a title I don’t quite get given that the film was shot outside of the Chicago area) Louie Mulgrin returns to his home town to deal with the house of his deceased father. Louis has had a seemingly successful career as a writer but most of the film is focused on his coming to terms with his past. Louie had written stories about his home town, depicting it in a not particularly favorable light. He quickly runs into several people from his earlier years, including Lainey (played by the film’s director Kate Cobb), a woman he once had a relationship with, and Travis (played by screenwriter Kevin Bigley) who clearly knows how to re-acquaint Louie with his rebellious younger self. There’s not a lot to the narrative beyond this though and as a story set locally, I was disappointed that the film doesn’t take us in any particularly original terrain.
As Louie spends more time (it’s actually only a few days) in town he reverts back to who he was as a teenager. Lainey and Travis have a good time and seem to particularly enjoy taunting their high school pier J.J. who is now a local cop. Lainey and Travis have not exactly evolved much but Louie does have that whole other life as a writer from which he is currently separated. The script attempts to explore how Louie’s past choices might not always have had a positive impact on the locals. He has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and yet is not completely aware of the resentment some of his former friends and neighbors have towards his escape from the town. They’re also upset about what he wrote concerning his experiences growing up there yet he does seem to effortlessly re-envelope himself into his former life.
The film itself is solidly produced. The narrative is tightly edited, the cinematography is often quite commendable, and the acting is consistently strong. However, there are elements to the script that are a bit of a mystery. Why did Louie leave? What was his relationship with his father? Perhaps more importantly, what is his psychological condition? Throughout the film, Louie experiences strong ringing and buzzing in his ears. It’s not clear what he is dealing with internally. We also learn that he is medicated when characters, such as his wife Bridgette, constantly ask him if he’s taken his medication. What is his illness? At one point, he takes ‘shrooms which lead him into an even deeper psychotic state that doesn’t really amount to much in the context of the larger narrative.
Ultimately it’s not very clear what, beyond the basic “return to home” narrative the film is trying to explore. Has Louie changed? Will he? That is all up to us to decide.
Okie played at the Chicago International Film Festival. It is now available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime.
FILM: OKIE
DIRECTED BY: KATE COBB
STARRING: SCOTT MICHAEL FOSTER, KEVIN BIGLEY, KATE COBB
RATING: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
How do fame and one’s past collide? In Okie (a title I don’t quite get given that the film was shot outside of the Chicago area) Louie Mulgrin returns to his home town to deal with the house of his deceased father. Louis has had a seemingly successful career as a writer but most of the film is focused on his coming to terms with his past. Louie had written stories about his home town, depicting it in a not particularly favorable light. He quickly runs into several people from his earlier years, including Lainey (played by the film’s director Kate Cobb), a woman he once had a relationship with, and Travis (played by screenwriter Kevin Bigley) who clearly knows how to re-acquaint Louie with his rebellious younger self. There’s not a lot to the narrative beyond this though and as a story set locally, I was disappointed that the film doesn’t take us in any particularly original terrain.
As Louie spends more time (it’s actually only a few days) in town he reverts back to who he was as a teenager. Lainey and Travis have a good time and seem to particularly enjoy taunting their high school pier J.J. who is now a local cop. Lainey and Travis have not exactly evolved much but Louie does have that whole other life as a writer from which he is currently separated. The script attempts to explore how Louie’s past choices might not always have had a positive impact on the locals. He has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and yet is not completely aware of the resentment some of his former friends and neighbors have towards his escape from the town. They’re also upset about what he wrote concerning his experiences growing up there yet he does seem to effortlessly re-envelope himself into his former life.
The film itself is solidly produced. The narrative is tightly edited, the cinematography is often quite commendable, and the acting is consistently strong. However, there are elements to the script that are a bit of a mystery. Why did Louie leave? What was his relationship with his father? Perhaps more importantly, what is his psychological condition? Throughout the film, Louie experiences strong ringing and buzzing in his ears. It’s not clear what he is dealing with internally. We also learn that he is medicated when characters, such as his wife Bridgette, constantly ask him if he’s taken his medication. What is his illness? At one point, he takes ‘shrooms which lead him into an even deeper psychotic state that doesn’t really amount to much in the context of the larger narrative.
Ultimately it’s not very clear what, beyond the basic “return to home” narrative the film is trying to explore. Has Louie changed? Will he? That is all up to us to decide.
Okie played at the Chicago International Film Festival. It is now available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime.